Getting Lost
by TheDoctor'sGirl0107
Summary: In this story, I sort of based it off of my memory on when I got lost. Nine is the oldest, Ten is 2nd oldest, and Eleven is the youngest. Eleven is 11 years old, Ten is older by a month. Eleven basically gets lost, and Ten and Nine try to find him. Not much Doctor Who-ish stuff in it, but I just thought of what would happen if the trio were to go camping. Sorry if its bad, I'm new!


Getting Lost

_"No matter where you are, or how far away we may seem, we will ALWAYS find you. We never give up."_ Eleven let Nine's consoling words echo through his head for a few minutes, then pulled himself back out of his pool of thoughts and into reality again. "He promised," He said to himself. "They will find me. I just hope it's soon..."

Nine, Ten and Eleven were all walking down the old dirt trail heading towards their favorite camping ground. "This trip is gonna be the best trip ever!" Eleven exclaimed, skipping merrily along the trail. Ten, who was older than Eleven by eight months, agreed with his eccentric, _almost_ twelve-year-old friend, who he considered childish, silly, and immature at times. But all in all, he thought of Eleven as his younger brother.  
"Yeah, but let's just hope you don't get lost, like last time," Nine, who was older than the both of them by about a month, joked.  
Eleven tried to laugh it off. "Hey! That was just one time! Besides, I know the trail now," he replied as the group came to a stop. Three paths lay ahead of them, each marked by an aged wooden sign that nobody could read anymore. The paint had been washed away over the years of harsh weather.  
"OK then, Mr. Navigation, which path do we take now?" Nine asked sarcastically.  
Eleven gulped. "U-um… that one?" he asked, pointing nervously to the first one. He hated being put on the spot like this.  
Nine raised an eyebrow quizzically, trying to hold back a wry smile. "Are you _sure_?" he asked.  
"Um… wait…no… that one?" he asked again, now pointing to the middle one.  
"You don't seem like you know the way…" Nine replied, knowing that he didn't.  
"I do too! It's...um...it's this way! C'mon!" Eleven said, hastily choosing the path furthest to the right.  
"But Nine, that's not the-" Ten began, only to be cut short.  
"Shh. I know. Let him figure it out." Nine said, wanting to see what would happen once Eleven figured out that it was the wrong way. Ten wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but he didn't say anything about it. Eleven was ahead of the group by a few yards, worried he had made the wrong choice. The woods were growing thicker and darker the farther they walked. He was sure that this wasn't the way, but didn't want to tell the other two that he was wrong. Though He definitely didn't recognize any of the woods around him. There were no signs anywhere that indicated which direction they were headed.

Eventually, the sky couldn't be seen overhead, and the only light was that of the sun, which was trying hard to shine through the thick growth of spruce and pine trees. Because of the lush, green color of the trees, the light that swept through the forest was green with a yellow tone to it, which cast an eerie sense. "Nine, C'mon, we're gonna get lost... let's go back before it's too late," Ten said, growing more anxious with each step he took, walking deeper into the forest. He kept giving an attentive glance up ahead to make sure that Eleven was still in front.  
"We will soon. Just wait. He must be scared out of his wits by now. It won't be long before he admits that he doesn't know the way," he replied. Ten sighed in frustration, but continued to follow, making sure to stay right behind Nine.  
After a few hours of wandering around the forest aimlessly, Nine decided to take lead again, Ten right at his heels. He was more than relieved to be taking the right trail again. The two boys both figured that Eleven was right behind them, and began walking back. However, he _wasn't_ behind them. Eleven thought that Nine and Ten were still following _him_ through the forest. Eleven continued to walk in the wrong direction, oblivious to the fact that every step he took, he grew farther and farther away from Nine, Ten, and the right trail.

After a half of an hour, Eleven was about ready to admit defeat. It was getting dark, and he was getting hungry. He turned back to tell Nine and Ten that he needed help finding the campground, but when he did, they were gone! Panic and fear starting to consume him, Eleven changed his slow pace into a sprint, then a full run. Realizing that he couldn't even see any sign of a trail, let alone a sign that humans had ever been through here before, he began to panic even more. He had gotten separated from his friends somehow, and wanted to be back with them. Who knows how long he was away from them? It could have been hours! And what happened to the trail?

Eleven began to feel his senses dulling, and his vision became blurred with spots. About a million and one questions started racing through his head. "_What if I never see them again? Or what if they leave without me? What if they never find me, and I starve?! Or what if they get attacked by a pack of wolves?! Or a pack of bears?! Or a pack of mutant Wolf Bears?!"_ He had to admit that the last one seemed a bit implausible. His silly, young, and childish imagination just wouldn't give him a break. But that honestly didn't matter as of right now. What mattered most was finding a way back to his friends.

He remembered last year's camping trip. It was a lot like this one, except Eleven wasn't leading the group. He was far behind, with his head in the clouds, playing around with his imagination. When reality had struck him again, pulling him out of his ecstatic daydream, he had realized that his friends weren't there anymore! Just like this trip. He began running around, trying to find them. After about an hour, he found the campground, but his friends weren't there. Eleven waited until they came back, seeing as it was sunset and that he didn't want to get lost again. Once they were back, Nine told him that the best thing to do once you're lost is to stay put, and wait for help.  
_"No matter where you are, or how far away we may seem, we will ALWAYS find you. We never give up."_ Eleven let Nine's consoling words echo through his head for a few minutes, then pulled himself back out of his pool of thoughts and into reality again. "He promised," He said to himself. "They _will_ find me. I just hope it's soon..."

Nine and Ten, however, were completely clueless to the fact that Eleven hadn't followed them back. "OK, Eleven, you set up the tent, Ten you get a fire going, and I'll start unpacking the food." Nine said as he dropped his heavy backpack down on the ground with a satisfying _THUMP._  
"Um Nine...where is Eleven?" Ten asked, noticing the lack of childlike imagination in their group, usually filled in by the Eleven year old.  
"What do you mean? He was right-" Nine paused, construing what had probably happened to Eleven. "Oh boy…." He sighed.  
"What? What's 'oh boy'?" Ten asked frantically.  
"Looks like a repeat of last year. Let's go find him." Nine said with another sigh.  
"Oh boy," Ten repeated.  
"'That was just one time! I know the trail by now!'" Nine said to himself, sarcastically imitating Eleven with a roll of his eyes. The two set back out onto the trail to find their lost friend, who by now was pacing frantically in circles, and hyperventilating.

"They probably already set up the tent and have a fire going right now... They're probably already on their way, looking for me... right?" Eleven asked himself, trying not to let the fear take over him again. It wasn't working, though. He sighed and sat down on the ground, sitting crisscross apple sauce, fiddling with a few small rocks. His stomach growled from lack of food. Perhaps skipping lunch earlier wasn't the best decision he had made. And a bigger breakfast probably wouldn't have hurt, either.

Dusk had already settled across the forest by now, illuminating the pine trees with a pink and orange glow. He assumed it was around six o'clock in the evening. Eleven felt diminutive compared to the trees that towered over him, bathing him in the darkness of their shadows. Wherever his friends were, he hoped that they'd show up soon. He didn't want to be there all night. Being a snack for one of those mutant Wolf Bears he had imagined earlier wasn't really on his to-do list today. Again, his imagination was getting the best of him. "Why am I so childish?" He asked out loud. "If I was mature, I wouldn't be lost right now! Nine was right... I really don't know the way. I should have just admitted that when I had the chance!" Gentle breezes made the trees sway back and forth, revealing a sliver of the sky again. Instead of Eleven seeing the sunset that he had seen only moments earlier, he saw dark clouds rolling in. He sighed in frustration, wishing he had brought his Tenet.

"Where do you think he is?" Ten asked Nine, who was slow to reply.  
"I'm not sure... but if he's smart, he'll stay where he is until we find him," he replied with an edge to his voice. Nine was not in the mood to go back onto the _wrong_ trail with a storm on the way. He could hear muffled thunder rumbling softly in the distance.  
"Why did you let Eleven lead us, anyway?" Ten asked, half annoyed and half curious.  
"Because I wanted to know if he really knew the way," Nine replied, matter-of-factly.  
"But you KNEW he didn't... why'd you let him choose?" Ten pried, wanting more answers.  
"I don't know..." He replied dishonestly, not wanting to be bombarded by his friend's questions any longer. Noticing that the winds were picking up, the two boys quickened their pace through the forest.  
"Did you bring anything to eat?" Ten asked, his stomach growling.  
"No..." Nine replied, wondering how that could have slipped his mind.  
"Why not?" He asked.  
"I didn't think it would take this long to find him." Nine snapped, wishing that Ten would just stop talking.  
"This is all your fault, you know." He grumbled.  
"_My_ fault?" Nine repeated, feeling accused.  
"Yes! If you KNEW Eleven didn't know the way, why on Earth would you let him lead?" Ten exclaimed.  
"I don't know! Why didn't _you_ think to bring the food?" He countered.  
"Don't try to pin this one on me! _You_ messed up this time! You should have been keeping a closer eye on him! Everything has to be a competition with you, doesn't it?! You always have to be right, Nine, don't you?!" Ten exclaimed, extremely annoyed.  
"OK FINE! I MADE A MISTAKE! I'M SORRY FOR BEING NORMAL!" Nine exclaimed, his reply reverberating through the forest.  
"Even a person who _wasn't_ normal would know that they should've been watching their _younger, childish,_ and _vulnerable_ friend! And, for the record, I wasn't looking for an apology from you! Saying that you're sorry won't help us find Eleven! Who can probably hear this whole argument, along with the rest of the universe!" He yelled back.

After a short while, the winds began picking up, and a few rain drops pelted the ground here and there. Eleven could indeed hear his friends arguing, but they were very distant. He couldn't make out what they were saying. He really wanted to follow those voices, but it was too risky. They were just too far away. The risk of him getting lost was greater than the chance of Eleven finding his friends.

The Temptation of following the voices was growing worse and worse for him, but he tried his hardest to ignore it and stay put. Hearing the two talking in the distance -or shouting, rather- gave him hope that he wouldn't be there all night. He tried to keep himself still by focusing on the details in the forest. Eleven counted the trees, the pine cones, and the boulders. He focused on the sappy smell of pine needles.

Eventually, after about ten minutes of listening to his friends' argument ramble on, Eleven began to grow restless. He stood up and followed the voices through the thick growth of trees. If he had any chance of finding his friends before being struck by a lightning bolt, or getting soaking wet from the oncoming storm, he'd take it.

Eleven' luck showing no mercy on him whatsoever, the few raindrops that pelted the ground now turned to many more, and the winds continued blowing branches and leaves everywhere. The thick smell of petrichor clung to the air like a wet blanket.

Eleven worked his way through the woods, slapping away at branches, only to be slapped back in the face by them again. He stepped over fallen trees and large rocks, and ducked under any low-hanging tree limbs. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Eleven found his way to a clearing, where he could see his friends! He ran towards them, tripping over himself a time or two. The few rain drops now turned to a steady rain fall, and a few loud cracks of thunder sounded as he neared his friends. "Nine! Ten!" He exclaimed euphorically, trying to slow himself down. But he was running too fast, and ended up accidentally knocking the two to the wet ground. "Sorry! Sorry! But hey, look! I found you!" Eleven said happily, rain dripping down his face. His clothes were soaked and covered in sticky pine sap, and his hair was a wet, tousled mess.  
"Eleven!" The two said in sync, rain now pelting them too, soaking their clothes. Eleven helped his friends up.  
"Where were you?!" Nine asked, flinching at a loud clap of thunder. His hands instinctively covered his ears. "We thought you were right behind us when we turned to go back!"  
"We were looking for you everywhere!" Ten exclaimed, dusting himself off to no avail.  
"I did stay put... for a short while. But then I heard you two shouting, and followed the sound of your voices!" Eleven shouted, competing with the loud winds and thunder.  
"Well, I'm happy you're safe!" Nine shouted back, the wind seemingly louder than before.  
"Ahem!" Ten cleared his throat loudly and elbowed Nine hard in the side.  
"Ow! I mean..." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Eleven. This time, it was _my_ fault you got lost. I shouldn't have let you lead. And even if it _was_ right for me to do that, I should have made sure you were still with us when we went back. I'm really sorry."  
Eleven just smiled. "That's OK, Nine. When I wasn't worrying about you two getting eaten by Mutant Wolf Bears, I remembered what to do when I got lost... sort of... but your advice from last year kept me from going crazy. I would have stayed put longer, but the storm was coming in, and it was getting dark," Eleven replied.

Ten and Nine exchanged a confused look and laughed. "Mutant Wolf Bears, huh?" Nine asked as the three of them began running back to their camp. This time, they took the _correct_ trail, too. "You have a weird imagination in there," Nine said, giving his younger friend a knock on the head. Eleven smiled.

In no time at all, the three found their campground, had the tent set up, and were eating sandwiches under their dry shelter. Eleven looked around their camping spot. It looked different than he remembered. He glanced over at his two friends, who were enjoying their dinner and telling stories. Eleven smiled and took a deep breath, the smell of the rain against the dusty ground still being embraced as the winds blew. He looked outside of the tent, watching the rain of the summer storm drone on, happy that he and his friends were safe and dry. He began daydreaming again, and imagined what they would do tomorrow.


End file.
